EWES - Global Issues: Bearing the Costs and Living Sustainably (Lesson)

Global Issues: Bearing the Costs and Living Sustainably 

Who Pays?

Global environmental problems make us more aware of the public service functions of the environment of our planet and of life around us, as well as raising new economic questions. An important case in point is the possibility of global warming. The problem is that our technological society is adding carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere that have the potential to warm the climate. The direct solution is to decrease the release of these gases, but to do so would require a worldwide decrease in the burning of fossil fuels. Although most of the production of greenhouse gases today is from the industrial nations, in the future the developing nations, especially China and India, will contribute large quantities of these gases. So who accepts responsibility and who makes the needed changes?

The Cradle-to-Cradle Approach of Sustainability

 

 

Living More Sustainably

There are four guiding principles for living more sustainably

• Respect Earth and life and all its diversity
• Care for life with understanding, love, and compassion
• Build societies that are free, just, participatory, sustainable, and peaceful
• Secure earth's bounty and beauty for present and future generations

Another major component of sustainable living is simplicity. Some affluent people in developed countries are adopting a lifestyle of voluntary simplicity. Voluntary simplicity is doing and enjoying more with less by learning to live more simply. 

In order to make the planet a better place we must realize that individuals make a difference. Most of the environmental progress we have made, during the last few decades, occurred because individuals banded together and educated others regarding matters in which we can do better. For success, we need hope, a positive vision of the future, and a commitment to making the world a better place to live. There is also a point to be made that many people are resistant to living sustainably because it runs counter to their fashion sensibilities. However, as shown by the Tesla Roadster below (a fully electric car), environmental sustainability and fashion are not necessarily an either/or proposition.

 

 

 

RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.